So how did Christmas go?

Got lots of cool survival items,radio,lights.archery,clothing.

Had DIL,Son and BIL visit,they did a hike to The Heart waterfall






DIL Teresa



A complete total stranger Ive never seen before,completely anonymous,with Girl and Snooky

My wife got me an iPod Touch. Now I can take pictures of plants and then automatically upload them to my Facebook page so people can see what edible wild plants are available right now.
Plus, it can do lots of other cool stuff, too.

She got ballroom dance lessons (with me).
-Blast

Blast,I would love to know a TON more about edible plants,....hint hint

You have info besides facebook for those of us who dont facebook?

I couldn't go visit my family because of work. I'd been developing cabin fever slowly, and then it sped up with the snowstorm. Now I'm laid up with a mild injury thanks to the slippery ground.

I got myself some nice presents, though, including a camcorder. a bottle of very delicious, slightly fermented olive oil, a small panetone, & very good chocolate from Madagascar...

A hand made Damascus steel knife, a Marmot tent, a Goal 0 charger, and some books.

Look at his signature block area. It has two links to his web offerings.

Will you also post them to your other sites?

I think Blast needs to develop an app for the ipod, ipad and iphone as a reference to edible wild plants. Who is with me on this?

Bought the wife a Taurus 709 single-stack 9mm, 50 rounds for it, and a holster (Uncle Mike's IWB for now, Crossbreed Minituck for her birthday in a couple of days).

She bought me a Ruger bolt-action rifle in .270 Winchester. Gotta buy a scope to go on it and something brown will be going down out in the back yard very soon. Mmmmmmmmmmm, jerky.

I am. You should be able to point your device at the plant, take a picture, and the app will tell you "eat / do not eat," and perhaps even provide a survival recipe for the area (GPS capabilities, right?).

This would be a great Kickstarter project.

Well Duh! THANKS Bob,never noticed that,much appreciated,Thanks too Blast,very helpful!

Time to start reading!

Montanero... if you haven't picked up the Guide 10 battery pack for the Goal Zero and plan to, make sure you get the upgraded "plus" version...

my politically incorrect friends gave me some boxes marked Lapua 168 grain BTHP...and Winchester small pistol... ??

and notice when you are making an attempt to lose weight you get the Carrabba's and Outback gift cards

Fine things come from Finland.

In addition to a bunch of essentials for the baby bob, I got a bunch of merino wool clothes, waffle knit thermals, a book about rope and knots, and thanks to a Zombie Squad contest, a Bacho Laplander saw, a GSI tea kettle, a cool little esbit stove and a tarp tipi (that hasn't been delivered yet.) I'm itching to get out there, but with about a month to go in this pregnancy, I'm not going very far. Might have to set up camp in the backyard. :-)

Mrs got me a Down/Gortex jacket,its awesome! Light weight,warm and dog fur does not stick,very very very nice!

Gee, your friends and family know you well! You racked up some goodies. P.S. What's the due date -- the reason I ask is that a co-worker of mine just started her maternity leave at Christmas. She is due on Jan 27 but I am betting on her delivering on the 24th (my birthday!)

I got a bottle of wine and a Kobo reader, both of which will be used to their fullest.
The best thing about Christmas - spending time with family and friends, like the 7-hr road trips with my Dad. (I think I need to see the movie, The Guilt Trip?)

Some bottles of really unique BC wine, and a Woodsman's Pal - sweet! (Not to be deployed simultaneously.)

Sweet!

My brother uses his .270 for defense and protection around the fishing lodge. A few years ago, a black bear came through a screen window into the pantry and scared the cook something awful. He gorged on the dog food. After shooing him back out the window, Gord picked him off with the rifle (2 rounds) about 100 yards away. They cut him up for the meat and gave the hide to the Conservation Officier. A habituated bear is a dead bear and this was it's third time hanging around the lodge; especially when he has paying guests at the lodge to worry about. Nobody, in my family is much of a hunter -- we all lean towards fishing and water sports. My "David Suzuki loving" sister went gonzo on him for killing wildlife until she got the complete story.

i got the normal guy stuff but the hit of the gifts was a big supply of Romneys Kendal Mint Cake.a buddy was over in the UK and had heard me going on about how no one in the States was carrying this "power bar" anymore,REI was the last some years ago.
the mint cake is a candy of sorts that has been used on polar and Mt Everest expeditions.i'll have a bite to perk up when i'm out on the canoe trips and a long portage is in sight.
on another note..at our friend big multi family gathering on Xmas day to exchange gifts and have a big meal i fell asleep in a comfy chair!!..i woke up to folks opening gifts and kids scampering around...i'll need more coffee in the survival kit---

Roar, our official due date is January 27th. (My BD, BTW. Cheers to my fellow Aquarian!) I'm transitioning at work (almost down to part-time hours now) and going off on mat leave on Jan 11th, unless this baby decides to arrive earlier.

Doctor's orders are to take it easy between now and then. Cabin fever has already set in. This morning I built a minimalist day hike kit using my Christmas goodies and some extras I had. Now I'm scheming to find a good local spot (a.k.a. totally urban) to go in the next couple of days for a little trailside brew-up.

With a little luck, DH and I are going to take DS to a hill for some sledding tomorrow. I think it's the perfect excuse to brew up some hot chocolate in the great outdoors!

"i fell asleep in a comfy chair"
Does this go better with the "How do guys cope with getting older" thread? LOL

I did get the Guide 10 battery pack with it, not sure if it is the "+" version, will look. What are the advantages?

I do need to get more Goal 0 batteries for it, it also has a aaa adapter. Can it safely charge Eneloops?

I have used my Goal Zero to charge both AA and AAA eneloops. No obvious problems or difficulties.

Montanero... the upgrade has "plus" printed on the bottom of the battery pack... I understand that it charges some of the newer iphones where the older one does not... I have an older Motorola Razr and works with my older pack ....I charge 1600mAh Sanyo Eneloops with the solar as well as an AC 800mA charger with the USBmini cord...I picked up an additional USB to USBmini charge cord... just in case..

old photos.. the AC charger is in the right of the picture



the Fujicell SCH 808F controller charger (blue lid) gives me the option of using 120v AC or 12VDC ( and works with the Goal Zero 12v female output) but at a slower charge rate than with the USB cord from the Goal Zero panel



I run lithium in my E01 so don't charge any AAAs

Got a Bark River Fox River cpm 3v Olive wood handles.

http://barkriverknifetool.com/Dropdowns/Woods/FR3V-olivewood.jpg

Kitchen hand tools, a torpedo level, and a beam level. I got a couple of other things but they had to be returned. They were "freelance" gifts (not on my list) from DW. Don't get me wrong, they were great gifts. We discussed them and came to the conclusion that I would most likely not use them (electric kitchen tools). Slippers, which were the wrong size, and LL Bean did not have my size in the store. Some would say it was a bust, but it was actually very heartwarming. what I did tell you is that she told me on Christmas Eve that I would probably need to return some of the gifts she bought for me. No big deal. It was still a great day. The best part was the gift-giving to my son and wife. Again, a great day.

Nice. Have any details?

That's good stuff. Ordered a Redfield Revenge AccuRange 4-12x42 scope for it. Should be able to knock some deer down from a good ways out, especially if it'll take down bear. Picked up some Winchester Super-X Power Point 130-Grain for it.

Can't wait for the scope to get here and get it set up. Gotta find me a place where I can set up out to 500 yards and see what it can do.

I'm no expert, but isn't a .270 a little light for heavy game? It's a nice flat shooting caliber well past 200 yards, but I'm not sure it has the punch for a clean (responsible) kill in elk let alone bear. My 2c, and like I say, I'm not an expert on the subject, I'm just going on what I've been told.

For heavy game perhaps. Not something I'd want to use for a grizzly but quite sufficient for a black. The rifle was a hand-me-down used mostly for deer hunting. Gord was a bit nervous which is why he added the second shot to the head after it dropped and was still twitching.

Yeah, that's about right. I've no doubt that people have taken griz and brown bear with a .270, but it would not be a recommended practice. I killed a brown bear once, but I was shooting a .338 Win Mag loaded with 250 grain Nosler Partition bullets (a good bit more punch than any .270). In Alaska the .338 Win Mag or the .375 H&H seem to be the most popular guns for big bears.

I started canning this year. We have concord grapes that grow wild in our back yard Which I turned into grape jelly,and I was given a great canning pot! Plus my Parents gave my Wife and I an hour long tour in a light aircraft, which we will use this summer and one of us gets to pilot! (after the real pilot takes off of course!)

I'll be careful what I shoot at bears with around here in Alabama. I'll pretty much only be using it for targets and deer, so it's all good.

Indeed it is,enjoy!